Abstract
Analogy is a way of thinking and understanding the world, of gaining insight into different phenomena in nature, which are linked by common properties or similar behavior. To comprehend the depth at which analogy is rooted in our consciousness, it is worth noting that human beings operate with analogies even at the neuron level (Pask, 2003). Webster’s Dictionary lists the following meanings of the word ‘analogy’: “Agreement, resemblance or correspondence in relations between different objects; coincidence, correlation, equivalence, parallelism, similarity.” The analogies that we refer to in this book endorse all these connotations, but in doing this retain the scientific character that should be expected from a book written for physicists. Almost all the analogies mentioned in this book are supported by a mathematical foundation. The role of mathematics is crucial because the essence of analogy resides in the fact that completely different systems can be modeled by similar mathematical equations unveiling a stunning unity in the world, beyond its apparent diversity.
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Dragoman, D., Dragoman, M. (2004). Introduction. In: Quantum-Classical Analogies. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-09647-5_1
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